Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Gymnotiformes (Knifefishes) > Apteronotidae (Ghost knifefishes) > Apteronotinae
Etymology: Apteronotus: Greek, apteros = without wings / (in this cases, fins) + Greek, noton = back (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Freshwater; benthopelagic. Tropical; 24°C - 28°C (Ref. 2059)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

South America: the Guianas, Brazil and Peru; rivers of Colombia and Venezuela, including the Catatumbo River.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 13.0, range 13 - ? cm
Max length : 26.9 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 36886)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal fin reduced to a dorsal filament;

Prefers fast flowing rivers (Ref. 26543). Forms loosely associated groups in rocky habitats or river banks (Ref. 10605). Nocturnal (Ref. 26543). Each individual fish possesses a unique spatiotemporal pattern of electric organ discharge (EOD) potentials distributed over the body surface (Ref. 10595). Chirps and EOD frequency modulations are important elements of courtship behavior and are sensitive to testosterone levels (Ref. 10011, 10883). Seems to reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age, based on breeding experiments (Ref. 10011). Tuberous electro receptors are differentiated and functional in larvae at day 9; electric organ and electro receptors both present in the larvae at the time of first exogenous feeding (Ref. 10605).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Eggs of about 3 mm diameter are deposited in crevices. Several days up to 2-3 weeks between batch spawnings. Larvae hatch after 4 days and start feeding on day 11.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Albert, James S. | Collaborators

Ortega, H. and R.P. Vari, 1986. Annotated checklist of the freshwater fishes of Peru. Smithson. Contrib. Zool. (437):1-25. (Ref. 6329)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)

Endangered (EN) (B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)); Date assessed: 12 December 2022

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00355 (0.00145 - 0.00867), b=3.06 (2.85 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.3 ±0.3 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm=1).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (17 of 100).

Apteronotus leptorhynchus (Ellis, 1912)